Device for holding plumb-rules.



J. 0. SWENSON `DEVIGI POR HOLDINGPLUMB RULES.

A unicum! Hmm APB. 22. 1910.

. Patented 11111.21, 1.911,

WITNESSES! y aL INVENTOR oV/@f BY* I z ATTORNEYS n JOHN O. SWENSON, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY,

DEVICE FOR HOLDING PLUME-RULES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 22, 1910.

Patented Mar. 21, 1911. Serial No. 556,978.

To all whom c't may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. Swanson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding Plumb-Rules; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being` had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a device for holding a plumb-rule or level in the required position, temporarily, so that strips of. certain kinds can be affixed to buildings in the process .of construction, whereby the vertical position of the strips can be assured, and at the same time the plumb-rule. is quickly and easily removed or attached to a suitable support, this device holding the plumb-rule without interfering in any way with the plumb-rules operation.

The device is particularly adapted for the aiiixing of such strips, such as ground strips to door-frames of buildings when they are in process of construction, facilitating the placing of the strips, insuring their vertical position, and also providing for a secure and positive holding of the plumb-rule, at the same time holding the plumb-rule in a manner that permits of its ready removal when the work is accomplished.

The device is illustrated in the accompanying` drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a portion of a door-frame showing the usual studding and illustrating a plumb-rule held in position by my improved device. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of the structure, but showing the holding means in elevation.

In the construction of buildings, in door or other frames, the usual studding 10 is placed to define the limits of the door or other openings, and the laths 11 are affixed to the studding, although the vparticular kind .of lath isv not essential, but wooden laths are illustrated. Before the plaster 12 is put on it is necessary to secure the ground strips 13 which form the limits of the plaster and which are secured to the studding l0 by nailing them the-reto, the ground strip being put on vertically, and the carpenter at present using a plumb-rule which, under oudinary conditions, must be held against the ground strip and the ground strip also held in place, and while the ground strip is being nailed, if but one man is doing the job, it is a. hard matter on account of the l'xecessity of holding all the elements in fixed relation until the ground strip is secured.

My improved device provides for holding the plumb-rule in its position by having the usual plumb-rule 14- which has the line 15 and the bob 16 held by a series of ribs, two usually being suiicient. Each rib 17 is provided with a pair of thumb-screws 18 near one end, these thumb-screws permitting the quick and ready attachment of the ribs to the plumb-rule. The rib has a cut-- away or recessed portion 19 on its face toward the plumb-rule, shown more particularly in Fig. 2, so as not to interfere with the movement of the line 15. These ribs are adapted to thus be placed transversely on the plumb-rule and to leave an end projecting from the edge of the rule, this end being rabbeted, as at 20, to give room for the adjustment and movement of the ground strip 13 when it is pla-ced therein, and the end of the rib has a screw 21 in screw-threaded relation with the end of the rib and has a lock nut 22 thereon. The screw 21 has a head 23 whichv is adapted to receive the blows of a hammer, and the end 24 or the shank portion .of the screw 21 is rectangular in cross-section, being preferably square so as to provide against turning after it is driven into the Vwood of the studding.

The method of operating the device is for the carpenter to hold the plumb-rule so that it is vertical, which he can observe from the line 15, and when it is vertical and in place.l the rectangular strip 13 being coniined in the rabbet 20. the carpenter taps the head 23 of the screw 21 with his hammer hard enough to drive the shank portion or squared part 24 into the studding` and in this way the plumb-rule is securely held in place.

The ribs are adapted for different sizes of plumb-rules, and the plumb-rule illustrated in Fig. 1 is small, being necessarily limited hy the drawing space, but it will be evident that any convenient size of plumb-rule can be used in this connection.

When the plumb-rules are heavy the screw 2l can be screwed so that the shank 24C projects a considerable distance from the rib to give plenty of purchase for the shank of the screw, but if the plumb-rule is light the screw 21 can be withdrawn so that so much penetration of the stud is not necessary and the ease with which the ribs can be aiiiXed and detached from the studdin will be evident. After the plumb-rule is 1n place it is only necessary for the carpenter to hold the ground strip 13 with its edge up against the edge of the plumb-rule and then nail the ground strip to the studding, as will be obvious.

rIhe plumb-rule is sometimes held oif the floor at a height, and the rectangular shank in such cases prevents the ribs from swinging on the screw 21 and prevents the shank from turning in the studding, which would be possible if the shanks 24- were round.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination of a plumb-rule, with a series of ribs, each rib ha ving a rabbeted portion on the back, the plumb-rule occupying a portion of the rabbeted portion, means for aiixing the plumb-rule to the ribs, each rib having a recessed portion for the line of the plumb-rule, one edge of the rabbeted portion and the edge of the plumb rule forming a space for the reception of the material to be alined or leveled, and a pointed rectangular shank projecting from the end of each rib opposite the end to which the plumb-rule is attached, each shank having a head projecting from the front of the rule, the head being adapted to receive blows of a hammer, t-he rectangular shank preventing the turning of the rib when the shank is driven into a wooden studding.

2. The combination of a plumb-rule, with a series of ribs, each rib having a rabbeted portion on the back, one end of the rabbeted portion being adapted to receive the plumbrule whereby the edge of the plumb-rule and one end of the rabbeted portion form a space between them for the reception of the element to be leveled or alined, each rib having a recessed portion on the face toward the plumb-rule for the reception of the line of the plumb-rule, set-screws in each rib and flanking the recessed portion for securing the plumb-rule to the ribs, a pointed rectangular shank in the end of each rib opposite the end to which the plumb-rule is attached, the shank being screw -threaded where it passes through the rib,.a head on the shank adapted to receive the blows of a hammer, and a lock-nut on the screw-threadeljportion of the shank for locking it in the r1 3. ik rib for attaching plumb-rules to supports having a rabbeted portion to receive the plumb-rule and having a recess to receive the line of the plun'ib-rule, set-screws projecting from the front to the back of the rib and flanking the recess to provide for the attachment oi. the rib to the plumb-rule, a screw-threaded shank in engagement with the rib at the end opposite the end to which the plumb-rule is attached, a lock-nut 'on the screw-threaded shank, a head on the shank for receiving the blows of a hammer, the inner end of the shank being pointed and rectangular so as to prevent its turning when driven into a support.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of April 1910.

JOHN O. SVVENSON.

Witnesses:

DAVID H. MABEY, LUDWIG CARLSON.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

-Washington, D. C, 

